Neural changes in early visual processing after 6 months of mindfulness training in older adults
Ben Isbel, Jan Weber, Jim Lagopoulos, Kayla B Stefanidis, Hannah S. Anderson, Mathew James Summers
Scientific Reports December 3, 2020 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78343-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled longitudinal training study with EEG Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Older adults |
| Interventions | Mindfulness training computer-based attention training |
| Duration | 6 months of training |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 19 |
| Key findings | After six months of mindfulness training, older adults showed enhanced neural activation during sensory encoding and perceptual processing of a visual cue, and this was linked to increased activation during post-perceptual processing of a subsequent target, along with behavioral improvements in attention. A control group doing computer-based attention training showed no similar changes. The authors argue these results suggest mindfulness may improve neural processes that decline with aging. |
Abstract
Mindfulness has been shown to improve attentional performance, which is known to decline in aging. Long-latency electroencephalographic (EEG) event-related potential (ERP) changes have been reported immediately after mindfulness training, however the enduring stability of these effects is unknown. Furthermore, the ability of mindfulness to impact earlier stages of information processing is unclear. We examined neural activation using high density EEG in older adults engaged in mindfulness training to examine the long-term stability of training effects. After 6 months of training, mindfulness practitioners displayed enhanced neural activation during sensory encoding and perceptual processing of a visual cue. Enhanced perceptual processing of a visual cue was associated with increased neural activation during post-perceptual processing of a subsequent target. Similar changes were not observed in a control group engaged in computer-based attention training over the same period. Neural changes following mindfulness training were accompanied by behavioural improvements in attentional performance. Our results are suggestive of increased efficiency of the neural pathways subserving bottom-up visual processing together with an enhanced ability to mobilise top-down attentional processes during perceptual and post-perceptual processing following mindfulness training. These results indicate that mindfulness may enhance neural processes known to deteriorate in normal aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Effect of Body Scanning and Walking Mindfulness on the Spatial Memory of Persons with Dementia Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental August 11, 2025
- The Mindfulness Internal Attention (MIA) Framework: Uncovering the Attentional Mechanisms of Mindfulness Training. Annual Review of Psychology 2026
- Influence of a Brief Online Mindfulness Intervention on Metacognition, Cognition, and Emotional Outcomes Among University Students: A Randomized Longitudinal Trial Psychology International July 9, 2025
- Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on mental, cognitive outcomes and neuroplastic changes in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing May 29, 2023
Cites 18
- Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources PLoS Biology May 4, 2007
- Intensive meditation training improves perceptual discrimination and sustained attention. Psychological Science June 1, 2010
- Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. Emotion February 6, 2012
- Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence Journal of Neuroscience October 21, 2009
- Regular, brief mindfulness meditation practice improves electrophysiological markers of attentional control Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
and 13 more in the library